1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to artificial intelligence (expert) data model (mapping) systems and methods. In particular, the present invention provides an expert data model system to design a data model (modeling a database structure) for a subject with very large number of elements (fields) that describe the subject, to intelligently validate existing data (data related to the subject), to intelligently enter the existing data into the database, to intelligently search the database and provide any information based on the entered data, and to substantially increase data integrity as well as simplify database search, database search speed, efficiency, and effectiveness.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically existing data of a target industry is electronically stored for information retrieval by creating a database and entering, via an automated process and/or manually, the existing data into the database. However, subjects, such as a compendium of prescription drugs, books, DVD's, Internet addressing data, and electronic parts and components, can have potentially very large number of data elements (fields/domains), which typically increase risk of substantial reduction in data integrity level, such as validity, consistency and accuracy of the data in the database. A reduced level of data integrity reduces accuracy level of information retrieval from the database (i.e., frustrates searching), which increases undetectable error risks as well as adversely affecting users' strategic decision making based upon inaccurate and/or incomplete information (i.e., affecting an organization's established/defined purpose and uses of the data).
For example, data models of typical databases are relational and flat data sets with limited number of data elements, limited number of primary keys, and ill-defined data element constraints. Such relational and flat data sets typically provide substantially reduced search speed when a subject has very large number of data elements. Significantly, because of lack of and/or ill-defined domain constraints, automated and/or manual entry of existing data typically provides a low level of data consistency, providing inefficient data storage, and substantially degrading search speed and search result accuracy. In particular, inconsistencies may exist within data and/or inconsistencies are likely introduced during entering of the data. Further, limited number of primary keys substantially frustrates effective information retrieval, providing overly and unnecessarily inefficient, complicated and extremely time consuming data search. Even combinations of database keys alone do little to increase the effectiveness and the efficiency of the data storage and/or search retrieval results.
In case of electronic components target industry, buyers/planners, engineers, quality assurance personnel, and component manufacturer sales and marketing individuals, each typically have significant problems in the identification, location, and procurement of electronic components using existing data sources of manufacturer, sales representative, distributor web sites, print and/or electronic catalogs.
The following illustrates the typical problems of each member of the procurement chain. For engineers, identifying parts takes too much time, catalogs are obsolete, general search engines on the web do not work well, meeting with salespeople may not be productive in identifying parts, receiving samples is time consuming, arrival of samples is not practical to predict and delay in parts delays a product.
For buyers/planners, tracking down parts can be unnecessarily time consuming, there is no time to verify that the components purchased are the best or most cost effective and communicating with engineers takes too much time. For quality assurance, there is too many products to verify compliance with specifications and communication with engineers takes too much time.
For the manufacturer, personnel costs (e.g., manufacturer representative and distributor commissions) unnecessarily increase because of such inefficiencies to accommodate the engineers and the buyers/planners, and the manufacturer does not know the buyers directly.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a unified data source for data of a target industry to interface various user types of the data in the target industry.